October 10, 2008 – Bucaramanga, Colombia…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
Seventh-day Adventists in Inter-America are hours away from participating in a large-scale division-wide activity to show kindness and compassion. Coined “Day of Kindness and Compassion”, church members will provide a boxed meal to hundreds of thousands of needy people throughout the vast territory tomorrow, Oct. 11.
Church leaders said it is the most coordinated community activity by local churches and local Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) offices ever attempted.
“Our goal has been to involve one million young people and church members in donating the equivalent of one meal to benefit one million people who are in great need,” said Pastor Bernardo Rodriguez, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America and joint-coordinator of the event, as he spoke to dozens of local church ADRA coordinators and volunteers in Bucaramanga, Colombia, on Oct. 9.
“You are an inspiration to Inter-America because it was out of this church region that this idea of sharing compassion came out of, was adopted by the church territory and has ignited each corner of Inter-America,” Pastor Rodriguez said.
Church regions throughout most of the 17 church regions alike are involved in making the final preparations for the community outreach and will host special programs at community centers, parks, and needy neighborhoods on Sabbath afternoon.
The Inter-American Division will broadcast a special program tomorrow from Bucaramanga, Colombia, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Colombia Time (4:00 p.m. Miami Time) where some 200 homeless of the city will be treated and fed that day. An additional 12,000 meals will be delivered to poor communities within the hour.
To find out more on Inter-America’s Day of Kindness and Compassion and to tune in for the live webcast, visit us at www.interamerica.org.
